Council Calls For Directing Sales Tax Revenue To Transit

In a potentially momentous decision reached on the very last day of its deliberations, the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council on Monday recommended directing a quarter of the state’s auto-related sales tax to finance an estimated $211 million in new public transit programs in Michigan. The proposed change in how revenue is spent from sales taxes on vehicles, parts, and gasoline would more than double state funding for public transportation. On a day that also included discussion of how racial segregation affected patterns of development, the bipartisan 26-member council concluded five months of work. The result is a 50-page report,by far the most cogent and comprehensive set of planning recommendations ever produced by a state-sanctioned panel.